Tablets are ever gaining the higher ground over their netbook counterparts. But not all is lost in the netbook subcategory; companies like Lenovo and HP realize there's still a small market for portable devices with a traditional QWERTY keyboard. (Especially considering the health risks that go with typing on a tablet). For these reasons, Lenovo has released its fortified ThinkPad X130e ($495 direct), touted as a computing solution for K-12 students. Yes, its padded exterior and middle-of-the-road AMD E-300 processing performance may lend itself to a grade-school lifestyle, but its features could also be tempting to consumers outside this niche. Consider the journalism major in college who needs a device to survive the hits that come with running across campus or from interview to interview, or even the business user who needs a portable but affordable rugged computing solution.

Design & Features
The ThinkPad X130e's plastic chassis may be seen as a throwback for consumers currently browsing for a new laptop. But the decision to use plastic over metallic alloy isn't about design per se; plastics are more affordablea defining trait of the netbook category. The ThinkPad X130e has a hot-rod red lid (this color will only sell in special bids; black is the standard color) with a rubber edge, which has a bit of a lip to protect a portion of its lower half if the system is dropped. The hinges have also been strengthened, so they won't loosen as much after continued use. The added protection doesn't add too much weight (3.53 pounds) compared with the competition. The HP Pavilion dm1z ($449 direct, 4.5 stars) weighs a slightly lighter 3.4 pounds, Asus EeePC 1215B ($450 street, 4 stars) a trimmer 3.3 pounds, and Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX ($549.99 direct, 3.5 stars) a scant 3.05 pounds.

The X130e sports an 11.6-inch widescreen that displays in 1,366-by-768 resolution; that resolution is about as good as you're going to get on a netbook nowadays. If you're looking to achieve that true 1080p HD, you'll have to look into outputting your video content onto an external display that supports full HD via the HDMI port. There's also a VGA video output for older projectors and budget monitors, plus a Webcam that sits above the screen for video chatting. Other connections include three USB 2.0 ports, a headphone/mic combo jack, Ethernet, and an SD card slot. The ports are also recessed and reinforced to prevent long-term wear and tear. There's Bluetooth for connecting wireless peripherals and 802.11n Wi-Fi to connect to the Web; however, competing netbooks like the HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr (Verizon) ($769.99, $599 with two-year contract, 4 stars) include 4G wireless broadband, provided you're willing to commit to a contract.

The full-size keyboard offers one of the most comfortable typing experiences around: its chiclet keys are thick and curved to cushion your fingertips. The touchpad, on the other hand, isn't as luxurious. It may be a little cramped for those with bigger fingers, and I occasionally ran into a few hiccups when clicking where it registered a right click as a left. However, Lenovo has included its classic pointing stick complete, as well as separate right- and left-click mouse buttonsa nice workaround solution.

The ThinkPad X130e comes with a 320GB hard drive that spins at a speedy 7,200 rpm. From the standpoint of durability, this obviously isn't as desirable as a solid-state drive (SSD) with no moving parts to suffer a possible disk crash, as seen in more costly rugged laptops such as the Panasonic Toughbook CF-S10 ($2,449 list, 3.5 stars) or Dell Latitude E6420-ATG ($3,348 direct, 4 stars). To compensate, however, Lenovo has included its own "Active Protection" software and a built-in accelerometer, which parks the hard drive when the system senses movement such as a sudden fall. Within this program users can set the shock detection sensitivity and even view the real-time status (in the form of a 3D model) of the netbook. The 320GB of storage space is standard for this price point; the Asus EeePC 1215B and Pavilion dm1z also come with 320GB of storage space. For more, you'll have to look into pricier models, like the Sony VAIO VPC-YB35KX, which support a 500GB hard drive.

Performance
The ThinkPad X130e has been outfitted with a 1.3GHz AMD E-300 APU, a single chip with the CPU and GPU (Radeon HD 6310) on the same die, and 2GB of RAM. The AMD Fusion APU series is currently the superior chip over Intel's Atom series when it comes to netbooks. And the proof is in the pudding, the ThinkPad X130e scoring 47 points overall on our Sysmark 2007 test, while the Intel-based Dell Latitude 2120 ($629 direct, 3.5 stars) scored 44 points. Compared to other AMD equipped systems, like the Sony VPC-YB35KX (54), Asus 1215B (56), and HP dm1z (57), the ThinkPad X130e fell behind, but these units were also equipped with superior E-350 and E-450 APUs. The ThinkPad X130e will browse the Web with ease and launch your day-to-day applications without issue, but if performance is more important than ruggedness, then the Asus EeePC 1215B and Pavilion dm1z are great options for the same price point.

The ThinkPad X130e's battery life will easily get you through a full school day, and almost a full work daythe netbook's 6-cell, 63Wh battery lasted 7 hours 41 minutes in our MobileMark 2007 test. That edges the HP dm1z (7:08, 55Wh) and surpasses the Asus EeePC 1215B (5:47, 56Wh).

When it comes down to price versus performance, the ThinkPad X130e barely loses out to the Editors' Choice HP Pavilion dm1zthe latter is faster and priced slightly lower. But if you consider the built-in accelerometer to protect the hard drive and all the other fortification features, the Lenovo ThinkPad X130e effectively becomes one of the more affordable ruggedized laptops on the market (just look at any Panasonic or Dell rugged notebook and you'll understand). Lenovo may position and market the X130e for the rough-and-tumble world of K-12 education, but we can think of quite a few adults who could do worse than carry this sturdy productivity pack.

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